San Jose

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Explore San Jose By Night: Food and Culture Tour with Local Dinner

San Jose, Costa Rica

San Jose Evening Tour with Dinner in Escazu

From $80.03

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

4 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Discover San Jose’s hidden delights with this unique evening tour of the Costa Rican capital. Get up close and personal with the nightlife in San Jose, starting with the Morazán Park where we will learn post-colonial Costa Rican history. From there, our appreciation for San Jose’s historical architecture continues, with a walk by the Metallic Building, then on to Spain Park for a fantastic view of the Yellow House (now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). We’ll continue to charming Barrio Escalante, one of the oldest residential areas in San Jose. Finish the night with a tasty traditional meal and wine or beer pairings at a gourmet Costa Rican restaurant.

4-hour evening tour of San Jose with dinner
Gain an insider’s perspective of local food
See San Jose’s iconic landmarks, including the Metallic Building and the Yellow House
Delve into a delicious dinner with authentic local ingredients and sip 2 glass of wine or beer while you dine
Taste artisanal craft beer or black drink - kombucha
Choose from private or small group tour
Enjoy this carbon neutral tour, operated by a B Corp certified company committed to using travel as a force for good.

What's Included

Experience San Jose by night with a local to guide the way
Indulge in a tasty local dinner with authentic local ingredients
Sip 2 glass of wine or beer while you dine ( (or non-alcoholic drink)
Taste an artisanal craft beer or black drink - kombucha
Explore significant city buildings and local neighbourhoods
Immerse yourself in the culture and history of the city
Get tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Templo de la Música
WWPF+6V5, C. 7, San José, El Carmen, 10101, Costa Rica
Morazan Park at the The Temple of Music

Start time

04:00 PM

End point

Agüizotes Gastro Pub
Av 5 &, C. 33, San José, Barrio Escalante, 10101, Costa Rica
Aguizotes Gastropub

What To Expect

Uncover secrets of daily life and folkloric legend in San Jose with this captivating evening tour. Connect with your guide at Morazán Park where we will learn post-colonial Costa Rican history. Your tour continues with a walk-through San Jose’s historic street to view architectural highlights in the glow of twilight. Stroll through Spain Park to view the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which boasts ties to Andrew Carnegie. We will stop at Steinvorth Building for a artisanal craft beer or black drink - kombucha. We’ll continue to charming Barrio Escalante, one of the oldest residential areas in San Jose. The "barrio" as locals calls it, was first a coffee farm but by the 1950's became the favorite neighborhood for the economic and political elites of the time. Nowadays, Barrio Escalante has reinvented itself and is now home to many up and coming restaurants and at night is a favorite meeting spot for locals and visitors alike. The evening will end with a contemporary traditional meal at a hip local restaurant that is very popular with locals and offers a sampler of traditional Costa Rican pub fare. Between your tasty dinner, and wines that go down a treat, you’ll be ending the evening feeling every bit the San Jose local.

Morazan Park

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Parque Espana

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Edificio Steinvorth

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Barrio Escalante

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Agüizotes Gastro Pub

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

Minimum age is 6 years
Minimum age to drink wine is 18 years
Small-group tour limited to 12 people. Private tour available.
This tour can accommodate vegetarians and other dietary restrictions. Please notify us in advance if you have any dietary requests.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

204 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 204 reviews

Fantastic informative tour with interesting and enthusiastic guide and great food

Patrick_W, Apr 2024

Really informative tour about the city we're walking through and about the history of Costa Rica. Malo was extremely interesting and enthusiastic and we had a fantastic tour. Was perfect amount of walking for children aged 14, 12 and 10 and the food at the end was delicious. Thank you so much. Would highly recommend.

Great Tour

Emma_R, Apr 2024

A great arts&culture-focussed tour of central San José and of the established and up- and coming art districts. Our guide Paula was lovely and provided us excellent background information to the sights seen.

Lack of communication from the tour operator

Jodee_G, Mar 2024

This is the first time I have given a tour I booked with Viator anything other than a 4 or 5 star rating. And, to be sure, a big part of this is my fault, not the tour operator, but their lack of communication is what caused me to give the low rating. We were due to meet at 4:00 in San Jose and it was 100% my own fault for not allowing plenty of time to get to the meeting point. My Uber app showed that I could get an Uber in 10 minutes and it would take 1 hour to get there so that was what I went with and had that been accurate we would have arrived on time and probably had a great time. But it took the Uber 20 minutes to pick up us up and 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to the meeting point (traffic was terrible) -- making us 30 minutes later for the tour. So, our fault, not the operators. I read in several reviews that these tours often ended up just being private and not groups, so I thought there was a chance that we might be the only guests and if so that the guide might be willing to wait for us and start late. Or maybe that we could "catch-up" with the group. So we got in the Uber, at that time thinking we'd only be 10-15 minutes late, and I immediately started reaching out to the Tour Operator. I sent messages with no response. Still to this day, no response. I called the number that was provided for the Tour Company and got a recording with different options, I called back multiple times during the 1+ hour Uber ride and tried all the options and could never get a person or leave a message. This is why I rated so low. In my opinion, I should have been provided direct contact information for our guide after I made the booking. Had I been able to reach that person (or anyone with the company!), they could have confirmed if we could have started late or caught up with the group. Or let us know that neither of those things were an option and we wouldn't have wasted nearly 2.5 hours in an Uber going to and from the meeting point.

A full tour. Be prepared to walk

Travis_S, Mar 2024

Emil was very knowledgeable and personable. We learned about Costa Rica history, visited shops, a bakery, and tasted a variety of delicious food. Highly recommend Emil for your tour guide.

Worth purchasing!!!

Calvin_P, Feb 2024

Great! Amazing time learned a lot took some amazing pictures. Def worth taking the tour! Emil was great tour guide.

Good tour.

Joseph_O, Feb 2024

Excellent knowledgeable guide. Very good dinner. Lots of walking but great sites and nice to see at night.

Evening walking tour

teresa_w, Jan 2024

First night in SJ and booked the evening walking tour. It's early in the season, so apparently I was the only person that booked the tour, so it was just me Emile. The tour was about 4 hours. Emile and I visited 3 parks. Stopped at a nearby spot and I had the most amazing chocolate, strawberry and passion fruit drink, that was to die for. The tour included historical buildings and pertinent history. It's too bad some buildings were vacant and not yet persevered. We end at Azuitores restaurant in a trendy neighborhood for dinner and a glass of wine. The last stop was about a mile away from the hotel which I decided to uber back, for safety reasons, since it was already dark and I was alone. All drinks and meals were included in the cost of the tour. Also, bring a light jacket as it was very windy and a little chilly on some areas along the tour. Enjoy.

Our guide was great,...

Nathan_D, Jan 2024

Our guide was great, explained lots of Costa Rican history while showing us different buildings and landmarks around town. Stop for a small drink and a snack and then a few more walking stops at landmarks before heading to a very nice dinner with local food options and 2 beers or wine included.

Great food, informative and fun.

Tyler_C, Dec 2023

We loved the tour! We had an amazing time learning about the history and food of San Jose with one of the best guides we’ve ever had. Good mix of education and fun.

Good tour

Anca_O, Nov 2023

Nice introduction for the first time travelers. I just wished the guide had a better English pronunciation.

Dinner Meh

Kelly_S, Sep 2023

The tour was nice but not quite what I expected. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and walked at my pace versus speed walking. Disappointed with the meal. Restaurant was ok but nothing special. It was just me and my 19 yo son on the tour. Two drinks were included per person. They had one choice of wine. If I wanted anything else it was an up charge. My son only had one soda. For the amount paid, would have liked more than just a taco choice for dinner. We were the only ones on the tour.

Proper way to appreciate Costa Rica

Charles_S, Sep 2023

Great dinner and conversation at the local restaurant in Escalante. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable on the historical landmarks. The historial significance all culminates toward the end of the tour where you get a little glimpse of what it feels like to be Tico. I appreciate this authentic view versus a mainstream commercial perspective.

A Great way to see the City

Patrick_W, Jul 2023

The tour guide was awesome, she knew the history of Costa Rica and showed me a good time. San Jose is a beautiful place with beautiful people.

I wouldnt waste your time or money on this one

Lisa_T, May 2023

Although the tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable, I personally felt that I could have skipped this excursion and kept my money in my pocket. It was boring and not enjoyable. The description gives you the impression that you will partake in some actual night life activities and that wasnt the case.

Explore San Jose by night

Pallavi_V, Apr 2023

The best way to experience San Jose. Our guide Jenny O was amazing and gave us an amazing introduction to everything CR. She picked up my kids loved nature and gave them extra information all the local plants and eco diversity and tip on different places to visit and ended the tour with a wonderful dinner!

Wonderful afternoon

Lukas_H, Mar 2023

Very good and knowledgeable Guide. Was with a friend and also had a couple in the group. Tour includes a stop with a craft beer or craft kombucha as well as Appetizer and main plate & 2 drinks of soda, beer or wine (also dessert i think but we all were full after the main course. Beware the servings are quite big especially the nachos.

Leonardo really brings history alive in San Jose!

Bill_K, Mar 2023

Our guide Leonardo was excellent. He was incredibly knowledgeable about history, politics, and the natural environment. He was also a terrific conversationalist and did a great job engaging all of us. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, learned a ton about San Jose, Costa Rica, and Central America, and gobbled up delicious food at the restaurant where we wrapped things up. Have the ceviche!

Architecture, Culture and History

Helen_L, Mar 2023

My husband and I had a great time with Fabi. She knew a lot about the history, culture, politics and history of Costa Rica and San Jose, was able to show us interesting places and little known hole-in-the-wall sights. Her enthusiasm for her country and city were contagious. We had a great time. Highly recommend it.

Great introduction to Costa Rica

celestineshih, Jan 2023

Exploring San Jose in the evening by walking showed us a different side of the city. Luz was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country and culture. We learned an incredible amount and appreciate the great introduction to Costa Rica!

San Jose Tour

Dan_L, Jan 2023

Enjoyed the overview of San Jose center. Guides were knowledgeable and friendly. Nice perspective from a local standpoint. Visit to a pub & dinner were fun.

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